respublica

1 to nothing

White Sox into the playoffs after squeeking past the Twins 1-0. This was the Sox's first 1-0 win this year and this post season will be the first time since 1906 that both Chicago teams are in.

Fans were given black towels and asked to wear black for...black out night and it looked pretty cool on tv.

The players were given new caps which had an actual 'white sock' on the bill instead of the word, Sox.  I've looked everywhere on the web and can't find one.  The MAtH would love that.

Someone is pretty happy tonight.

Talking points...blah blah blah

An election year brings out the worst in people.  That's a fact.  Since the 2000 election, the first presidential election with widespread internet use and myriad discussion boards and now blogs, people have steadily become more ugly, hiding behind screen names or anonymous.  Using a screen name is fine, we don't need to know who you are, but the truly vile stuff out here on the internet directed toward candidates is exhausting.  Read around the web.  Do these people talk like this in their own homes?  Each election this decade has gotten progressively worse.

Shrill voices, foul language, made up stuff, talking points...ugh...the talking points sent out by the campaigns are so obvious.

It's gotten so bad it's impossible to have even a civil discussion with live people if anyone holds a different political point of view. 

No one believes anything the other side puts out even if there is "on the record" oral or video proof.  Such is life these days.

This isn't fun anymore.  The media is so totally on one side or the other you can't even believe what is being reported.   Talking points.  And made up stuff.  And no real digging for truth.  If they bothered to do any digging at all, each network wouldn't be using the same content, the same questions, the same "talking points" each night.

Tonight it's White Sox night.  No cable news, no network news.  Just a respite from the nightmare this "forever and a day" campaign has become.  Can the White Sox win this one game playoff game against the Twins?

They've been in first place by a thread all season and it all comes down to one play-in game against a team they rarely beat.  I don't see it happening, but the MAtH wants them to win so bad, I just hope they have a few hits left in their bats.

Finally. Connor gets his nap

Over the weekend, every photo I received from D.C. had poor old Connor just wanting to close his eyes and go to sleep.  Well, he finally got his good sleep on aunt Katie's shoulder during a Saturday night dinner.

What about Riley?  He lives out there too.  Well, he had a hard time waking up as well.

Katie again. 

Helpful chaos?

It's the morning after the bail out defeat in the House.  Chaos was all over the place in the aftermath of the vote, the DOW plunged, politicians pointed fingers, media stars grabbed onto talking points and pushed them all night long, the rest of us wondered just what in the world was going on.

It was chaos.  And, often, out of chaos comes calm.  The chaff is blown away and what is left is maybe more sensible.

Hopefully this will turn out to be the case.  This morning things are more normal.  Politicians are still at each others throats, blaming each other and assessing motivations, but wags have pushed away the chaotic fog and pointed out that jokes were made by some house leaders/members right after the vote.  Joking can't mean things are all that dire, can they? 

We sit out here in flyover land and wonder.

Now everyone in Washington is gone until next week.  The stock market seemed to make a come back during the night.  Maybe things will work themselves out without the aid of Congress. 

From chaos to calm.  We shall see.

Raining kids and dogs

Compare this post I put up last March about Riley in a dog park...

...with this video of Christian at a kids park.

A dry, but informative explanation of the mortgage crisis

A professorial video explaining just what this mortgage crisis is about.  It's a decent explanation, especially for amateurs like most of us are.

It doesn't get to a solution, but it does give us an idea of just what the heck has happened.

Disclose? Not Chris Matthews

On Friday Chris Matthews of MSNBC's Hardball, interviewed a number of college students at Ole Miss, members of Concerned Youth of America about the financial situation.  Many were dressed as inmates, at least old style inmates.  What he didn't do was mention the fact that one of those he interviewed was his own daughter.

Video here.

No one really likes it but...

Update 3:  The House has adjourned until Thursday in honor of Rosh Hashana. 

Update 2:  Here is a link to the final vote, who voted yes or no.  Locally, no votes were given by:  Lacy Clay, Jerry Costello, John Shimkus, Kenny Hulshof, Todd Akin, Sam Graves.  Yes votes:  Roy Blunt, Russ Carnahan and JoAnn Emerson.  I"m guessing many members who voted no against the wishes of their leaders heard a lot of negative feedback from their constituents.

Update:  It looks like the House vote is going to fail.  A clear majority against the bailout.  The vote is not finished but it seems there is no way it will pass.  Final-205 to 228 with one not voting.  Who voted Not voting?  Illinois congressman, Jerry Weller did not vote.  Vote fails.   The DOW plunges, what is the explanation, what is the future going to hold.  Is this a matter of "pay no attention" to those who consider this a dire crisis?  Lots of democrats voting no. 

Now some member from Texas asked the chair what would happen if a motion was made to reconsider.  The chair said it would be done immediately.  The member withdrew.  Others were heard to shout, give us a little more time.  It looks like there is a move on to do some arm twisting to get some votes changed.

I'm watching this on CSPAN and House members are just standing around like they're in shock while some man keeps hollering "Order".

Earlier

House minority leader, John Boehner calls the bill "a crap sandwich", and Nancy Pelosi says "this isn't a democratic bill", but they are doing what they think they have to do to avert another great depression.

Boehner and Pelosi, while polar opposites politically, have both worked hard to make the bill at least a little palatable to their party's members.  Each will have to deal with hold outs on their own side of the aisle, blue dog democrats and very conservative republicans. 

The great polling omission

What would the presidential polling numbers look like if pollsters called cell phones instead of staying exclusively with land line phones?

I'd bet Obama's numbers would be much higher as more and more young people who tend to be his supporters eliminate their land phones in favor of their cells.

Digging in the ear, pushing back the hair

The MAtH is out of town, but this Monday Etiquette is too good not to talk about so we'll be back later today.